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Council delays vote on data-center zoning changes after residents and engineers urge tighter review
Summary
After extensive public comment urging engineering review and a 1,000-foot setback, Granbury City Council postponed consideration of a zoning ordinance change that would require specific-use permits and setbacks for data centers and power plants to Sept. 15, 2026.
Granbury City Council on Tuesday postponed a public hearing on proposed zoning changes that would add supplemental standards and require either a specific-use permit (SUP) or added site-plan review for data centers and power-generation operations.
City staff and the planning and zoning commission presented differing setback recommendations: the citizen-drafted ordinance and P&Z supported a 1,000-foot perimeter setback and an SUP, while staff proposed a shorter, 300–500-foot standard and a site-plan review pathway. Cody Nolan, director of community development, told the council that the P&Z had recommended the citizen draft and that staff presented alternative options for consideration.
Multiple residents and technical commentators urged more engineering input and broader protections. Andy Wolford, who said he lives in Harbor Lakes, told the council, “Words matter,” and pointed to gaps he said remain in the draft ordinance on cooling, water use and heat rejection. Local planning commissioner Richard Hayes, who said he managed a primary data center, said he favored the 1,000-foot benchmark to protect neighbors outside city limits.
Supporters of the citizen proposal argued that an SUP would allow the city to require technical analyses — noise, traffic, environmental studies — and to make adjacency findings before approving a use of that magnitude. As one public speaker said, “This ordinance is not about saying no to technology or economic development, but it is about saying yes to responsible planning.”
After discussing takings-analysis requirements, the role of TCEQ-issued permits and whether the proposed standard would effectively exclude development in some industrial areas, council members voted to postpone the matter to the Sept. 15, 2026 regular meeting to allow staff to obtain engineering input and give the public more opportunity to comment.
